Hide and Seek
by CaffeinatedKitty
Summary: Six teenagers have disappeared... Three of them for the second time. The odd thing is... The original kidnapper is still in prison. Is it coincidence or not? No one knows except the second-time victims... But will they live to tell the tale? Sequel to Kidnapped. I do not own Hetalia.
1. Prologue

_Exterior of Hetalia High_

"Sh-shit! Antonio! Antonio, he-!"

"**Lovino**!"

_Five minutes later_

_Sidewalk outside of Edelstein residence_

"Feli-!"

"_AAH_! Ludwig! Ludwig, _HELP ME_!"

_Ten minutes later_

_Sidewalk corner outside of Kirkland residence_

"P-PETER! Run..!"

"Wha- Raivis, why- AAH!"

* * *

Short prologue is short. X3 Any guesses about who the culprit/s are? ^.^ As soon as someone reviews.. or follows/favorites, I'll put up the next chapter! XD


	2. Who?

"Hmm?" Mrs. Edelstein stood and walked over to the window at the front of her classroom."Was that a..._ Scream_ I heard?"

She looked down at the sidewalk at the front of the school. Seeing nothing, she gave a little laugh and went back to her desk to finish grading her students' homework.

"I must be hearing things."

_Five minutes later_

Johann jumped, leaving a long pencil mark across his half-finished sketch. Glaring in annoyance, he marched over to the window in his room and poked his head out. "Who's out there yelling?!"

But both the street and the sidewalk alongside it were empty of cars and people. Shaking his head, he sat back down at his desk. Maybe he could fix that mark...

_Ten minutes later_

"Raivis!"

"Peter!"

Toris and Arthur leapt up from their chairs and dashed outside. Where the two younger boys had been playing, there was... Nothing. No one was there and the only car on the street was a blue Volvo that they knew belonged to Berwald. Inside they could just barely see the aforementioned Swede and his younger brother. Arthur and Toris looked at each other for a moment and then ran opposite ways on the sidewalk, calling out for their little brothers- whether they were truly brothers or not didn't matter at the moment.

"Peter! If this is your idea of a joke, it isn't funny, you little twit..!"

"Raivis! Raivis, where are you?!"

They searched the whole neighborhood, called Lizzy- Peter and Raivis's friend from Australia- and Lili, from Liechtenstein, even Eduard, but the two boys were nowhere to be found.

"Peter, Raivis, where are you?"

* * *

Lovino groaned as he woke up, feeling a sharp pain in the back of his head. He felt _terrible_- in fact, he felt a lot like he had when he'd been kidnapped just three short years ago... Especially with the painful lump on his head and the cold metal shackles around-

_Wait._

Lovino felt himself begin to shake as he reluctantly looked up. Surely enough, he was chained to the wall in a gray concrete room, only this time... He wasn't alone. Lovino's heart sank as he recognized Feliciano and Antonio, then Ludwig... Along with two smaller figures that were turned away. He desperately hoped that they weren't Peter and Raivis... Although he was sure that they were.

"D-Damn it..." Lovino cried silently as he looked around, already deeming the situation hopeless. Every person in the room was restrained in some way... No one's hands were free."H-how is th-that bastard so _smart_..?"

"Lovi...?"

"A-Antonio..." the tears were evident in Lovino's voice and on his face as he looked over at Antonio. "I-I think it's Ivan again... I... I'm scared..." he didn't need to finish his sentence; his thoughts were clear. '_For_ all_ of us..._'

"Oh, _mi tomate_..." Antonio tried to make his way closer to Lovino, worry clear in his eyes.

"I... I don't know if we can ever get out..." he looked down, newly-recalled pain and fear twisting his features into a nearly unrecognizable mask. "D-damn it..."

"Lovino..." In a weak attempt to reassure him, Antonio loosely wrapped his arms around Lovino's shoulders. "It'll be okay... I don't know how, but it'll be okay."

"No it _won't_." Lovino pushed him away harshly. "Don't you see? He'll have _learned_ from last time... He's not going to screw up like that again. He's like an overgrown child and we're-" his voice cracked- "We're his _toys._ And he'll do _anything_ to keep from losing us." Lovino pulled his knees up to his chest and hid his face, harsh sobs escaping his lips and shaking his shoulders. "I-I can't..."

_Crash_

Lovino jumped, emitting a muffled shriek as the door banged open.

The culprit... Looked almost nothing like he'd expected. Instead of a tall man clad in a long coat and a scarf, it was a slender young woman in a blue-and-white dress, a matching white bow perched on her head.

"Wh-who...?"

"I must get one of you ready for when брат* comes home." her face was oddly indifferent, her eyes coldly scanning the occupants of the room.

Lovino had gone deathly white, staring at her fearfully.

"Lovi, what's-"

Before Antonio could finish his sentence, she had crossed the room and had a hand on the collar of his shirt, pulling him halfway to his feet. Retrieving a key from a hidden pocket in her skirt, she unlocked the cuffs around his wrists... But not before she tied them together with a short length of rope she'd had wound around her shoulder.

"Come with me."

The only thing Lovino could do was stare in horror as she dragged Antonio from the room. Shocked into silence, Antonio stared back pleadingly, begging for help.

But only after the door clicked shut... Only then could Lovino move and speak.

"BRING HIM BACK! BRING ANTONIO BACK, YOU..! BRING HIM BACK! DON'T..! Don't hurt him..." he trailed of into a whisper, finally realizing the severity of the situation...

And how little he was really able to do.

* * *

*brother

If it wasn't obvious from the description and her actions, "she" is Belarus, otherwise known as Natalia. XD This seemed longer when I was writing it... Darn it. XD And if you haven't yet... You should go check out Ivan's Story. :D It explains why he's so... Crazy. XD


	3. Sadness

Toris and Arthur stood outside the police station. They'd finished filling out the reports for the police officers, but they were still worried... What if someone as ruthless as Ivan had taken them...? Toris had seen the terrible things people could do first-hand, and both still remembered how traumatized the others had been... And how Toris still had nightmares and felt pain ghost over his scars every so often. He'd woken up screaming, crying for it to stop too many times to count... The dreams, the memories weren't as vivid now, but in no way had they been forgotten.

But now that both Raivis and Peter had gone missing, Toris and Arthur found themselves worrying...

And imagining terrible worst-case scenarios...

And begging, pleading silently for both to _just be okay._

* * *

"Ch...Che...?" Feliciano was rather... _Astonished_ at what he saw when he woke up. "Who's-" He didn't finish the question, realizing that it was Lovino who was shouting, whose voice was choked with sobs. "Fratello? Fratello, what's wrong?!"

"I-I don't know, dammit! She took us, that bastard's sorellina took us and she has Antonio!"

Feliciano's eyes filled with tears. He'd thought something like that had happened, but he hadn't been sure... He was hoping that it had only been someone playing a terrible joke on them.

"_Bring him back_, _dammit_!"

But... It wasn't. Lovino's sounded too distraught, too... _Genuine..._ Feliciano burst into tears, not bothering to try to hide them. What was the point...? They'd only escaped through a lucky break last time, when Lovino had been pushed too far... But there was no way they'd make the same mistake this time. There was no way out...

No way to be sure that they would survive.

* * *

"Nn..."

Peter groaned, resisting the need to open his eyes. His head hurt _so much_, and the light would only make it worse... But... He heard someone shouting desperately, and there was another crying...

"Who..?" he lifted his head, slowly letting his eyes open.

There was a choked sob from beside him and then he was bowled over, someone's arms around his neck and their face buried in his shoulder. "You're alive, Peter, I thought you were dead!"

"Raivis!" he recognized the voice immediately. "Where are we? What's happening?!"

They sat up again, facing each other.

"I-I don't know wh-where we are... B-But someone t-took us. I th-think it was... I-I think it w-was _his_ sister..."

"Oh, _no_..." Peter buried his face in his hands. "...Why...?"

"I-I don't know, Peter..."

Then his head shot up, a look of determination overtaking his tear-streaked features. "We can get out of here if we try. I-I _know_ we can!"

"N-no we _can't_..." Raivis shook his head, slowly, sadly. "I-I tried... Toris a-and Eduard tried... Y-you _saw_ what he-he gave me..." His next words weren't voiced, but they hung in the air all the same: '_I let you see my scars..._'

"I-I know..." Peter hung his head. "I... I just want to go home..."

And his voice sounded so small, so childish, that Raivis had to try to comfort him. "I-I'm sorry..." he said, wrapping his arms around Peter and pulling him into a tight hug. "I'm sorry."

They held each other close, desperately trying to find some scrap of warmth, a little bit of comfort in this cold, bleak situation. And somehow... They escaped into the world of dreams, where everything was alright and this gray room was only a distant memory.

* * *

Actually... I wrote the segment with Peter and Raivis before Feliciano and Ludwig XD But it was better in that order because of the line "...shouting desperately, and there was another crying..." XD

Oh, and if you can't remember, Raivis had the words "Little Latvia" carved into his chest with a knife after he tried to escape.

"Ch...Che...?"="Wh...What?"

Sorellina=Little sister(I actually guessed on this one and went on the internet to check... I was right! \O/)

I wanted it to be longer, but I reached such good cutoff points... ;n;


	4. Return

The times are starting to get split XD Okay, for Monika, Romana, and Isabel, it's about 5:15-5:30 PM on Friday, and for 'Toni, Lovi, Feli, Ludwig, Rai-chan, and Peter it's between 7:00 and 9:00 PM on Friday. XD

* * *

"Ciao, Isabel?"

"Si! Hola, Roma!"

"Have you seen either of my boys? They haven't called, and they should've been home an hour ago... I called both of them and they didn't pick up."

"I haven't seen them either... And now that you mention it, Antonio isn't home yet and he hasn't called." Isabel's voice sounded worried, even over the phone.

"...I'll get in touch with Monika. And isn't Antonio friends with Francisca's boy? I hear Lovi complaining to him over the phone."

"Si, si... Adiós!"

It was a kind of snappish farewell, but Romana understood... She still remembered the fear, the panic she'd felt when she had been told that Lovino and Feliciano had been kidnapped.

She dialed another familiar number. "Ciao, Monika?"

"Ja. I was just about to call you, Romana. Is it about Ludwig?"

Romana's heart sank. "No... I was going to ask if you had seen Lovi or Feli..."

"...Something must have happened. Ludwig would call if he went somewhere with them."

"Do you... Do you think we should wait until the sun starts setting to inform the police...?"

"Ja."

Romana was sure that Monika nodded to emphasize her point.

"Oh- And can you ask Gilbert if he has any idea where Feli, Lovi, or Antonio could be?"

"He's missing too?!" Surprise was clear in Monika's voice. "I don't think that this is just a case of them being teenage boys and forgetting to call, then..."

Romana heard footsteps and then Monika covered the receiver.

"Gilbert!" The shout was muffled but she could still understand what was being said.

"Have you seen Ludwig, Feliciano, Antonio, or Lovino?"

Romana heard a faint answer and then Monika yelled again.

"When did you last see them?"

Romana could hear a longer reply before Monika took her hand off the receiver and addressed her again.

"He hasn't seen any of them since right after school ended. Feliciano was on his way to the cooking club, Ludwig to JROTC, and Antonio and Lovino were going to wait for them."

"Everything was as usual, then..." Romana's phone buzzed and she jumped, almost dropping it. "That's Isabel, she must have finished talking to Francisca."

"Why don't we all meet up at my house later? It'll be easier than trying to talk to each other over the phone."

Romana nodded. "I'll tell her. What time?"

"About six o'clock, maybe?"

"I think that'll be okay."

"Tschüs."

"Salve!"

Romana disconnected her conversation and answered Isabel. "Ciao?"

"Romana, Francisca says that Francis hasn't seen any of them since school got out."

"Oh dear..."

"What did Monika say?"

"Gilbert hasn't seen them either. We were going to meet at her house in about half an hour, she wants you to come too."

"I can make it. We're going to discuss the situation, aren't we?"

"Yes. I'll see you there."

"Adiós."

"Salve." Romana snapped her cell phone shut and sighed. Was this as bad as it seemed, or were their sons simply being teenagers? She couldn't tell yet, but this whole thing gave her a bad feeling.

'Please, be okay...'

* * *

Lovino shifted nervously, restlessly. He wasn't sure what scared him most... The silence or the thought that screaming might begin at any moment. Lovino was terrified that Antonio was going to be hurt, or already was...

'_He's fine,_' he kept telling himself, but the pessimistic side of him nagged, '_but what if he was gagged? Or knocked unconscious before? What if he's trying to stay silent so he won't worry you?_'

There was nothing to reassure him that these theories were wrong. The only sound outside of the room was noise from upstairs- footsteps, doors opening and closing, a few discordant notes from a piano. Then one final door closed and, faintly, Lovino heard a car start and drive away. '_That's probably Katyusha,_' the pessimistic voice sang, '_she was cleaning and now she's gone off to buy groceries_.'

In an attempt to distract himself, Lovino turned towards the others in the room and tried to concentrate on what they were saying.

Ludwig had been whispering to Feliciano for a while now, so quietly that his voice was little more than a low hum to anyone else. The two were close enough together that Feliciano could rest his head on Ludwig's chest, his features relaxing as his sobs died to nothing more than the occasional hiccup.

He hadn't noticed before, but now that Lovino listened, he realized that Peter and Raivis had fallen silent. They leaned against each other, their backs to the wall as they dozed. They were in no way completely relaxed, though: Raivis was still shaking and Peter's thick brows were knit in worry, his free hand balled in a fist.

Lovino decided to follow their lead- although still unnerved by the silence, he settled back against the wall in the hopes that he would be able to sleep and regain some of his energy. Slowly, his eyelids drifted shut and he nodded off.

* * *

"Hello, little ones!"

Lovino snapped to an upright position, eyes frantically darting around the room until they finally rested on the one who had spoken.

"Y-you..."

He couldn't force the words out of his mouth, his eyes wide with fear as he stared up at the one who had caused him so much pain, left him with scars both physical and emotional.

Lovino heard Raivis whimper as Ivan smiled and nodded.

"Da, I am back."

* * *

Longest chapter yet! \O/ And hurray for parent OCs! XD Also, I forgot to mention, Johann is Kugelmugel and Lizzy is Wy. XD

Okay, translations... Ciao/Hola=hello, si/ja/da=yes, and adiós/tschüs/salve=goodbye. ^u^

Also, note that while _salve_ and _ciao _mean both hello _and_ goodbye, I'll use _ciao _for hello and _salve_ for goodbye. Hopefully I'll be able to keep it consistent... XD

Oh, and JROTC is a type of army training that you can start in high school, at least where I live. I forgot what it stands for... XD

Ohohoho... Now who was expecting that one? If you paid attention while Belarus was talking, she gave a hint by saying "...when брат(brother) comes home."

...Hehe, I was tempted to write out Peter's dream. Maybe another chapter... XD Hint: it has something to do with a phrase our favorite American says all the time, a 'damsel in distress', and Ivan. :3

And I have a question for you guys: If someone was the author of a series of books, would they put little omakes and short stories about the characters here or on FictionPress? That one's been bugging me and I'd really like to know XD


	5. Privyet

I'm trying to respond to reviews more often XD

So, to Hetafan101, thank you! :D I love the micronations, that's why I included them. If you look hard enough, Ladonia's there too. XD Thanks for your response! :D And no, I don't think they'll be returning to actually help... I have something else planned and like Lovi said, Ivan's gotten smarter and he's not going to make the same mistake again.

Okay, here's the current times. XD For Gilbert and Matthew it's about 6:00 PM on Friday and for Ludwig, Feliciano, Lovino, Antonio, Raivis and Peter it's between 12:00 AM and 3:00 AM on Saturday.

* * *

"Come on," Gilbert hissed, "We need to get to the top of the stairs if we want to hear what they're saying."

"A-are you sure it's right to eavesdrop?" Matthew looked worriedly up at him from the bottom of the steps.

"It's about mein Bruder!" was Gilbert's quick response as he made his way farther up the stairs.

"If you're sure about this..." Matthew followed him, his footsteps light on the hard wood.

"...hasn't seen any of them since school ended." It was Monika speaking, quickly followed by Isabel.

"Si, si, I had Francisca ask Francis and he said the same."

"Have any of them mentioned any plans..? Dates, or something similar?" Romana chimed in, trying to find a rational explanation other than the one that was hovering in the back of their minds.

"No." was the immediate response from the other two.

"...If they aren't home and haven't called by sundown...?" Romana began.

"We go to the police." Monika finished. She sighed. "I guess Matthew finally convinced Gilbert to play something quieter."

Gilbert winced. '_At least they haven't noticed that there's no music..._'

"Anyway, we should all try to call again... To make sure that the first wasn't just them missing the call."

Gilbert fidgeted for several minutes while the phone calls were made, not daring to talk.

"...I called more than once, and he didn't pick up..."

Gilbert snapped back to attention at the sound of Isabel's voice.

"Neither did Ludwig."

Now _that_ worried him. '_West always picks up... Except when I steal his phone. But I don't have it..._'

'Neither Lovi or Feli answered, and they both had their phones today..!"

Gilbert had had enough. He walked back down the stairs and sat at his drum set, needing a distraction. He gestured for Matthew to play something and he did, starting the slow, quiet melody that he'd been itching to play. Slowly, Gilbert tapped out a constant rhythm, starting out with only the cymbal, but adding the snare drum, bass drum, and an occasional four-note fill on the toms. By the time the song was over, he'd calmed down, but he'd also gotten rather.. Sleepy.

"Birdiiie..." he yawned, "I'm tiiired..."

Matthew laughed. "Then go take a nap."

"But my bed's cold.." Gilbert wrapped his arms around Matthew's waist and pulled him onto the bed with him, burying his face in Matthew's shoulder.

"Why do you always insist on sleeping with me?" he sighed, trying to pry Gilbert's hands away.

"Because you're comfortable..." Gilbert yawned again. "..Like a teddy bear."

"That doesn't make any..." Matthew noticed that he'd already dozed off and sighed, smiling. Well, as long as Gilbert was happy, he was fine... And he could really use a nap too.

Matthew closed his eyes and let himself drift away into the world of dreams.

* * *

"Da, I am back."

Raivis whimpered, shrinking back as Ivan turned to face him, still wearing that wide, childish grin.

"Privyet, little Latvia."

"H-he-hello, Mister I-Ivan..." Raivis flinched as Peter took hold of his hand, giving him a small, weak smile.

"It's okay." Peter mouthed, lightly squeezing his hand.

Raivis tried to smile back, ducking his head so his bangs shadowed his face. "I ho-hope so..." he whispered, almost too quietly to be heard.

"What's wrong, little Latvia?" Ivan crossed the room in two short steps, tipping his head slightly and crouching to look at them. "Did you miss me?" He smiled slightly. "I missed you..." he reached out to rest a hand on Raivis's head, not yet pressing down, but letting it lie limply, heavily.

The constant tremors that shook Raivis's far-too-small frame intensified, his shaking now visible to anyone that cared to look. "N-no-nothing's wrong, Mi-Mister Ivan..." he chose to ignore the second question, hoping that Ivan would forget about it.

No such luck.

"I asked if you missed me, little Latvia..." Ivan smiled dangerously, beginning to press down hard on Raivis's head.

He made a quiet noise of terror in the back of his throat. Raivis could feel it, the single large hand that could easily shatter his skull, pushing down on him, crushing him under what felt like a thousand pounds of pressure.

"_STOP THAT, YOU GREAT JERK OF JERKS_!" with the little room he had to move, Peter barreled into Ivan, loosening his grip and almost knocking him over.

"P-Peter..! What-!" wide-eyed, Raivis turned to stare at him as Ivan released him and stood, towering threateningly over the two.

"I should punish you for that..." he gave them a wide, obviously fake smile, a murderous glint in his eyes. "But моя младшая сестра tells me that someone is waiting for me. I will come back, though..." Ivan turned, walking off towards the door. But before he closed it, he glanced back at them and uttered a few last words.

"Because you can't escape..."

* * *

"Privyet," Ivan said casually, entering the room where Antonio had been sitting, alone, for the last few hours. "You are the one that took Lovino from me, da?"

Antonio flinched, nodding nervously.

"You were so strong then... Why so weak now?" he said, almost to himself, as he wandered over to the handcuffed teen. "But that doesn't matter now, da?" He knelt beside Antonio, picking something up and lifting it up to the chains.**

"I've always wanted to see how this worked..." Ivan's voice sounded far too cheerful as he knotted thin strands of wire around the chains attached to Antonio's wrists.

"Wh-what...?" Antonio wasn't sure why he was asking, wasn't sure he wanted to know what was coming... But the question slipped out before he could stop it.

"Electricity!" Ivan smiled, walking over to what Antonio now realized controlled the electricity throughout the house.

Following the wires with his eyes, he realized that they ran across the floor and connected to an electrical cord that was plugged into the temporarily useless outlet at the base of the wall. Antonio's eyes widened- he'd been shocked by an electric fence once, and it wasn't exactly an enjoyable experience... And he couldn't imagine how much stronger this must be. "Please, d-don't...!"

"But you are my test subject," Ivan's eyes glinted ominously as he rested a finger on one of the switches. "Da?"***

Antonio screamed, his back arching in pain as electricity coursed through his body. As quickly as it came, the current died and he was left panting, his chest heaving and his throat burning with each ragged breath. Antonio's wrists stung with pain under the handcuffs, electrical burns blistering the skin that was covered by the thick metal.

But he barely had a moment of rest before Ivan turned on the electricity again. He opened his mouth in a silent scream, nothing more than quiet, rasping cry escaping his lips.

"S-stop," Antonio tried to say as the current was cut again, giving him a little bit of relief. The only sound he managed to make, though, was a hoarse whisper that barely resembled English.

He barely made it through one more shock before he passed out, the world swirling in front of his eyes and fading into black.

* * *

Lovino's head shot up as a scream echoed through the house. But this one... He could tell, this wasn't a scream stemming from simple fear. This scream was a scream of pure agony, a shriek that tore the throat raw and left the one who had let it loose wheezing, unable to make a sound.****

"Antonio..." tears pricked at Lovino's eyes. What had Ivan done to make him scream like that...? "D-dammit..." he bowed his head, squeezing his eyes shut as salty drops of water dotted the concrete in front of him. "Why... Why can't I help him...?"

'_Why am I so weak...?_'

* * *

..Don't kill me, just go read the fluff again XC

*I can't make him call Ivan Mister Russia XD

**Sorry this is so choppy XD

***I was originally going to cut it off here, but then I was inspired... That's why it's so choppy. XD

****Yeeeeeah... I don't know why I was so descriptive with the scream... But anyway, this was inspired by the scene in Soul Eater episode 5 when Dr. Stein electrocuted Black Star and left everyone else standing in shock. I had to pause it to write this. XD So I've had that written for a while...

Haha, I liked describing the rhythm Gilbert was playing. XD Just for the record, I can't play it because I have to stick to sheet music and playing drum set is basically all improvisation. XD

Just as a note, when I said "great jerk of jerks" I was using 'great' as 'big', not 'good'. XD

Mein Bruder= my brother

Si= yes

Da= yes

Privyet= hello/hi

моя младшая сестра= my little sister

So, this is just coming easily. XD I had the part starting at 'Antonio screamed' and ending at the line break written in about fifteen minutes(multitasking XD) because I had the beginning floating around in my head for AGES. This just really easy for me to write, I don't know why XD Much easier than the others... XD I actually tried to do some research on how much electricity could kill you... But all of the information flew right over my head so I gave up. XD Also, I have been shocked by an electric fence... Like Antonio said, not fun. XD

Hehe, the chapters are getting longer. CX


	6. Wasn't Once Enough?

Okay, for our wonderful cast of OC parents, it's about 6:30 AM on Saturday. Romana was getting ready for work and Monika was just about to do so.

For Lovi and his group, it's about the same time- between 5:30 and 6:30. AM. On Saturday. No prizes for guessing what's happening...

* * *

"Monika!"

Romana was panicking, not even waiting for the other woman to answer before she began speaking. "Go check the news, now!"

"Why?" Monika, of course, kept a clear head, picking her glasses up from where they rested on her nightstand and slipping them on as she walked from her bedroom to the den.

"I- I can't explain it in so few words! Just check the news on C*N!"*

"Ja, ja..." Monika held the phone in one hand and the TV remote in the other, flicking through channels as quickly as she could. She quickly reached the channel Romana had told her to check, wondering why.

Immediately, she saw why Romana was panicking.

_Dangerous Criminal Escaped! _scrolled across the screen on a constant loop, a picture of Ivan Braginski hovering on the screen above it.

"...aginski escaped from the jail cell where he was being held, at approximately twelve AM last night. The security cameras were disabled beforehand and the guards outside were knocked unconscious. It is unknown who helped him escape."

"Does... Does Isabel know...?" Monika couldn't take her eyes off the screen as the camera view switched to an ongoing interview with one of the security guards.

"N-no... I was going to call her after I told you..."

"Well then, go call her! Don't waste your time staying on the line with me!" Monika quickly ended the call, shaking her head. "If that's where they ended up..."

She didn't want to think of what would happen.

* * *

When Antonio awoke, he was back with the others but Lovino was gone. Judging from Peter and Raivis's expressions, though, it hadn't been too long- they were still staring, shaking and wide-eyed, at the only door to the room.

"Whe-" Antonio cut himself off immediately, ignoring the stinging in his arms as he tried to ease the pain in his throat.

"He... He took Lovino." Peter answered Antonio's unfinished question, his voice dull.

"He likes to... to _recreate_ 'punishments'... and make them... '_Better_'..." Raivis continued, face pale as he remembered Toris's 'punishments'.

Antonio's eyes widened and he let his arms relax, wincing as he moved the sore limbs. "You don't think..." He spoke softly and lightly, trying not to hurt his throat.**

Raivis opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, a shriek echoed from upstairs.

"_Stop! D-don't, __**please**__!_"

He flinched, clamping his hands over his ears and burying his face in Peter's slender chest. "Make it stop!"

"_Nonononononono stop please, please, per favore, stop __**please**_!"

It seemed like hours passed before Lovino's screams quieted- maybe it was as long as it felt. But as each second passed, whether in silence or filled with a cacophony of screams, Antonio found himself growing angrier, all of his hatred focused on the one person that caused all of Lovino's pain.

Ivan Braginski was the single person that Antonio hated, the one person that he wished would just... Die.

And it takes quite a lot to make Antonio think this way.

* * *

Dull green eyes stared up at bright violet, the one they belonged to finally broken.

"...Why?"

"They told me it was fun, and now I know they're right!"

The world swirled, black fading in around that innocently childish smile until it was all that was visible.

And as his jade eyes gently fluttered shut, Lovino wondered if they'd ever open again.

* * *

*Hehe, censoring. XD It's obvious what news channel this is, right? XD(PS, I don't own it XD)

**You know how you talk when you have a sore throat? That's what he's doing.

I'm sorry I'm not focusing on Germany and Italy. ;_; They're still there, I promise! I guess I've just been avoiding it because I don't know how to get Germany in character... ._.

Wow, I just realized I'm one of those creepy people that can write something totally morbid and depressing and have a happy cheerful author's note at the bottom XD

And did anyone notice the cover? :3


	7. Good Night

Just a warning: I'm pretty certain that Germany's out of character... ^.^"

Okay, for Gilbert and Matthew, it's about noon, and for everyone else, it's about 10 AM.

HetaFan101: Oh wow, I misread things like that sometimes XD Once I was watching an anime with subs and a character said "He is blessed by the goddess of love" but I read it as "He is he goddess of love" XD Imagine the confusion.

Eeeehhh... I may be planning something like that... *hides* DON'T KILL ME!

And don't worry, I do too! :D I'm trying to work it into the story XD Why do you think they're so close? XD Thanks for everything!

And to Emili: Is your name based off of Iceland's human name? XD Had to ask. Thanks! :D

And I'm not done either, it should still have at least four more chapters. But I'm terrible at guessing. XD

Enjoy!

* * *

"Birdie, did you watch the news earlier?"

"No, I was still sleeping... I thought you slept late too?"

"No... I've gotten too used to West waking me up when he gets up..." He trailed off, wondering. "...Do you think they eloped?" The thought crossed his mind and he had to voice it.

"_No_! They're _seventeen_, and you know that Ludwig is too responsible to do such a thing!"

Gilbert winced. "Okay, wrong thing to think..."

"So, what was on the news?" Matthew prompted, remembering why Gilbert had called him.

"He... _Ivan_..." Gilbert's tone darkened. "He's escaped."

"What?!" Matthew couldn't think of anything to say. Such a dangerous person... And he was running free?

"He... He has." Gilbert confirmed, shakily. Even he was scared of Ivan...

The one who had almost taken his Birdie's life.

"D-didn't Lovino mention that Ivan had a little sister that's obsessed with him?"

"Ja, he did."

"Do you think... She did it?"

"Ja." Gilbert sighed. "But we can't go to the police until we have concrete evidence."

"That's true..."

Gilbert ran a hand through his hair. "What can we do, then...? We don't even know if Ivan escaping has anything to do with them disappearing!" He collapsed backwards onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"That's true, but we can wait... Until we get some information. _Then_ we can act."

Gilbert sighed. "You haven't forgotten about our date tomorrow, have you?"

At that, Matthew had to smile. "Of course not! How could I forget about our anniversary?"

On the other side of the line, Gilbert smiled too. "Right. I'll see you then!"

"Goodbye!"

Gilbert ended the call, still lying on his bed. He reached over to his nightstand, picking up the ring box and looking at the ring inside once more.

"Is now the right time to ask...?"

He closed it, gently setting it back down.

"I hope..."

* * *

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Raivis sobbed into Peter's shirt, his arms wrapped tight around the smaller child. "T-Toris didn't do it! Wh-why are you hurting him?!"

"Raivis, Toris isn't here.." Peter tried to comfort him, but it didn't seem like he was going to listen. "It-it's not your fault.."

"Y-yes it is, you kn-know it is! _I'm_ the one th-that broke it!"

Peter looked up, realizing what was happening. "He-he's having a flashback... It was triggered by Lovino screaming..."

Now trying to help Raivis snap out of it, Peter tentatively ran his fingers through his hair, whispering quiet words of comfort into his ear.

"...Ludwig...?" Feliciano asked quietly, trying not to hear his twin's screams. "...Do you think we'll get out okay?"

"I... Don't know. If we all get the same treatment..." He trailed off. "Raivis would be able to give a better answer. But..."

Feliciano whimpered, burying his face in his hands. "...Is there _anyone_ that can help us...?"

Ludwig sighed. "There are a lot of people that would help if they got the chance."

"Si, but..."

"Feliciano, look at me." When the Italian didn't comply, Ludwig gently grasped his chin and tilted his head up. "Feliciano. All of our friends- and don't forget mein Bruder- they will all try their hardest to find us. Don't- _never_ give up hope."

"S-si..." Feliciano looked down, the tears filling his amber eyes spilling over. "But... It was luck last time... How will they know...?"

"Stop..." Ludwig brushed away the salty drops with the back of his hand. "We found you last time, didn't we?"

"B-But Lovi told you where we were..."

"I know I usually don't rely on chance, but we have to. We have to kep thinking that we'll get a chance like that again."

"S-si..." Feliciano turned his back to the wall and leaned against Ludwig's shoulder. "Hope... That would be 'speranza'..."

Ludwig nodded, wrapping a protective arm around Feliciano's shoulders and drawing him closer. "It would be Hoffnung..."

As calm as they could be in the situation, the two teenagers stared at the door, watching, waiting for something they weren't sure they wanted to see.

* * *

_Click_

_Creeeeeak_

Feliciano's head snapped up at the sound of the door opening. "Lovi!" he shouted, staring, horrified, at Lovino.

He was motionless, carried like a child in Ivan's arms. Tear tracks trailed down his face, and his shirt was bunched around his waist, showing the bruises already forming on his hips.

"You _bastard_!" Antonio hissed, giving Ivan a harsh glare. "Put him _down_!"

"But Lovi's so much fun~"

At that, Antonio attempted to get up and attack him, but the chains around his wrists forced him to stop before he could take a step.

Ivan smiled cheerfully, ignoring Antonio as he snapped the metal cuffs around Lovino's wrists.

He stood, yawning as he walked to the door.

"Good night, little ones..."

* * *

YEEEES, THE RING IS AN ENGAGEMENT RING.

Just go read that again and don't murder me.

...Please? ;_;

awhfgajhialughsdhvbahiglviauliguhaiugh Aaaaaaagh. I swear, Luddy seems so out of character to me! And if I ever get anyone out of character, don't be afraid to tell me!

And oh wow, the part with Gilbert and Matthew gave me such issues ._. I kept trying to write them at school when it's Saturday, and then I wrote "West woke me up"... He's not there... But I finished it! \O/ Just for the record, Gilbert is eighteen and Matthew is seventeen.(Senior and junior in high school, respectively)


	8. First Time

**If you really want broken feels, go read "Silent Heartbeat" by ShadowmoonxBlackfire. And yes, listen to the song that's linked in the beginning. My feels... Were broken... ;_; And that story needs more attention...**

**Okay guys, I put up a poll! :D It has to do with this story, so go vote!**

Pssh, even after reading so many romance fics I'm not sure how to write a date- /shot

To HetaFan101- Yeah... ;_; No, they won't all get the same treatment.

I couldn't tell you anyway, but... It's their turn. *wince* Lemme tell you, I just about freaking cried too... Which would've sucked because I was in the middle of class. XD

Yes, he's going to propose! :D Not now, but he will. c:

Okay then, that's good c: I'd really like to get some constructive criticism... But I don't really get any XD

And the age difference between Raivis and Peter? Three years, Peter's twelve and Raivis is fifteen. (They're at their canon ages but everyone else is about four years off)

Okay, enjoy!

* * *

"You know, Gilbert and Matthew are still celebrating their anniversary." Monika gave a short, forced-sounding laugh. "Even with how worried we all are... And it's obvious that they are too."

Romana sighed, absent-mindedly glancing out the window. "That's how much they love each other..."

"The others are like that too..." Isabel added, staring down at the tabletop.

"...Do you think they ran away to be with each other?" Romana suggested, unwilling to think that her sons' disappearance had to do with the... _Terrifying_ news she'd seen that morning.

"No," Monika shook her head. "They know that they're accepted for who they are here, and everyone supports them..."

"Maybe they took an impromptu trip to Disney World and don't call or pick up because they think they'll get in trouble?" Isabel wondered out loud, looking up.

"That seems... A lot more likely..." Romana agreed hopefully. "There's not much they wouldn't do for each other..."

"But still... We can't just leave it at that. It's just a guess, and a farfetched one at that..." Monika said, reminding them of the alternative. "And to make it worse... Peter and Raivis are gone, too."

"What?!" Romana and Isabel shouted in unison, all of their attention going to Monika.

She nodded somberly. "Matthew told me... Peter's his cousin, and he was with Raivis when they disappeared."

"There's no way it's not a coincidence..." Romana buried her face in her hands, ready to give up.

Monika awkwardly patted her back, trying to give her some comfort. "I'm sure we'll hear from them soon."

"Monika..." Romana began, "'Soon' isn't soon enough..."

* * *

Gilbert ran his fingers over the tiny box in his pocket as he kissed Matthew good night, feverishly trying to come to a decision.

'_Not tonight,_' he finally decided, giving Matthew another smile before turning and heading back to his car. '_Soon... I'll do it soon..._'

* * *

After a tense hour of waiting, they decided, unanimously, that Ivan had meant what he said when he told them "good night".

And one by one, they fell asleep.

Raivis, worn out from panicking.

Peter, who didn't want to face reality any more.

Feliciano, unable to even turn in his brother's direction.

Ludwig, barely able to stand seeing Feliciano so distraught.

All except Antonio.

He stayed awake, gently wiping sweat and tears from Lovino's face. Antonio pulled down his shirt, relaxing slightly as the ten dark, fingerprint-shaped bruises were hidden.

"Lovi..." he mumbled, pressing a light kiss to his forehead, "Please, wake up..."

* * *

"Little Latvia..."

Raivis jolted awake, his lilac eyes snapping wide open to see Ivan crouched in front of him. "Y-yes, Mi-Mister Ivan?"

"You will be coming with me, da?" Without waiting for an answer, Ivan pulled him to his feet, grasping his wrists in one hand as he unlocked the cuffs.

Still half-asleep, Raivis didn't realize what was happening until it was too late.

The door closed behind them as he looked up at Ivan with wide, terror-filled eyes. "Wh-what..."

Ivan smiled innocently. "That is for me to know and you to find out."

* * *

"_Help_!"

Peter bolted up at the first cry, looking around frantically to figure out who was gone.

"_Help me_!"

"Raivis!" Peter leapt up and started forward, only to be yanked back by the chains. "D-darn it!"

He stood again, turning his back to the door and pulling hard on the chains. As he heard Raivis's shouts grow more frantic, Peter pulled harder, and finally the chains gave way. He stumbled, back, almost falling but managing to stay on his feet.* Peter caught his balance and turned, throwing open the door and looking around wildly. He saw the stairs and raced towards them, somehow not tripping as he ascended them at almost the same speed. Following the noise, he found himself in front of an ornate door that obviously lead to the master bedroom.

Feeling sick to his stomach, he turned the knob, realizing now that Raivis's screams had descended into sobs.

Ivan was leaning over Raivis, pinning him down with one hand, holding a bloody knife in the other. As he made more cuts in Raivis's chest, blood splattered his face and hands, staining his skin red.

Peter felt himself go hot, then cold. "He's reopening Raivis's scars..." A sudden burst of anger gave him courage and he rushed into the room.

"Leave him alone, you jerk!" With all of his strength, he shoved Ivan aside, the tall man stumbling but not falling.

"What are you doing here, little one?" he asked, tilting his head to the side as he studied Peter. "So strong..." Ivan mumbled, his eyes widening as he caught sight of the broken, jagged chain links brushing the floor.

Raivis scrambled back against the headboard, too scared to leave. "P-Peter, run, n-now..!"

"No! I'm not lea-!" He was cut off by his own scream as Ivan broke his arm with one hit from the faucet pipe he'd pulled out of nowhere.

Tears pooling in his eyes, Peter clenched his teeth and glared hard at Ivan. '_Gotta... Stay strong..._'

He tried to get out of the way as Ivan swung again, but he was too late.

His shin snapped with a sickening _crack_ when the pipe made contact.**

Peter cried out in pain, the tears spilling over and running down his face as he collapsed.

"Peter!" Raivis crawled to the edge of the bed, ignoring the pain in his chest as he tried to stop Ivan.

"Nyet." Ivan pushed him back with one hand, picking up Peter and setting him in the armchair at the corner of the room.

"You can't leave now, da?"

And Peter was forced to watch, unable to even move, as Ivan finished reopening the scars on Raivis's chest and gave him the same treatment as Lovino, whispering:

"You're so cute, little Latvia, you remind me of me when I was little like you..."

* * *

*...SHUSH. I CAN BREAK THE LAWS OF PHYSICS, THIS KID IS MADE OF CONCRETE AND STEEL.

**AFJHSKJAAFJSDKJFHAHGAHLFGHKSJH ;_; I couldn't get this sentence riiiiight...

I had the second half written like two days after I uploaded the last chapter but I wasn't sure what to do with the first half... XD

Hahahaha, calling it their anniversary makes them sound like an old married couple. XD (Shhh, don't tell my readers, but they're going to get married... c:)

I'm starting to feel like the first part is just to keep you from killing me... ._.

...and I didn't say this, but originally it was going to be both arms, not an arm and a leg...

SO MANY LINE BREAKS

AFSKJHFAKJHGHAJGLAGHLJAHLDSGHJFDAHSJGDHF /DEAD

Well then, I'm just going to go hide under my bed and start on the next chapter while you guys form an angry mob with pitchforks and torches.

Later!


	9. Help Me

**Okay, if any of this sounds kind of odd, it's probably the part that I wrote at like one in the morning when I was half-asleep and really should've been asleep because I had school tomorrow- er, that day. And I had to get up at 6:30. XD**

**sugarhuney2**- Why weren't you logged in? XD And I didn't say I was going to die, I said I was going to hide under my bed and start on the next chapter while you all formed an angry mob with pitchforks and torches XD(Ohright, the line breaks were driving me crazy XD I don't like writing such short sections XD)

HOLY CRAPOLA GUYS, THIS CHAPTER IS OVER 3,000 WORDS! \O/ CELEBRATION TIME!

* * *

"That was such a good movie! Almost exactly like the book!" Katyusha smiled, laughing. "But I still wish that the end was different..."

Natalia nodded, unlocking the door and pushing it open. "Now, where was it that you wanted to go again?"

"That little French café... They make delic-"

A short, sharp scream coming from further in the house cut her off.

"Did... Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" The color had drained from Natalia's face, her lips pressed tightly together. "...I just remembered, that idiot Astrid is going to take me out somewhere, and you know she'll do it whether I agree or not."

"So... You need to get ready?" Katyusha wasn't sure if she wanted to believe her sister, but there wasn't much she could do.

"Da. Sorry, Kat..." Natalia walked with her to the door. "Tomorrow, then?"

Katyusha nodded, not bothering to force herself to smile. "Da svedaniya, Natalia..."

"Da svedaniya."

And with that, the door closed between them.

Katyusha walked to her car, a troubled expression on her face. '_What was that...? Is she hiding something from me?_'

As she started her car and got ready to drive away, she wondered, '_Did Natalia help Vanya escape?_'

* * *

Raivis snapped out of his trauma-induced daze, noticing in shock that he was completely unrestrained... And Ivan had fallen asleep.

Knowing what he had to do, he slipped out from Ivan's arm, freezing as he shifted in his sleep. He stilled again, though, and Raivis quietly dropped to the floor. He redressed himself quickly, trying to push back the memories and wincing as the clothing brushed his sore spots.* Walking with a slight limp, Raivis padded over to Peter, sighing in relief as he saw that he was still breathing. He ruffled Peter's hair before turning away, mumbling a short phrase in Latvian.

He didn't want anyone to know until he was really ready to say it.**

Raivis crept out of the room, opening and closing the door as quietly as possible. Looking around warily, he chose a direction and walked that way, hoping that it led towards the front of the house. Luckily, he was right- soon enough, he made it to the front door.

He took a deep breath, turning the knob and pulling the door open.

It jolted to a stop before it had opened enough for him to squeeze through.

Raivis looked up, confused.

'_Of course..._'

There was a small, golden chain on the door, far too high for him to reach.

He looked around desperately, trying to find something to stand on before it was too late.

But then, a he heard a door slam loudly, a falsely cheerful voice calling:

"Little Latvia, where are you?"

Raivis closed the door again, and dashed over to the nearest door. It was unlocked- a bedroom, presumably for guests, and in the back corner there was a closet. He softly closed the door behind him and went to the closet. It was unlocked too, but he barely had time to shut the door before he heard the voice again.

"Raivis... Little Latvia... Where are you?"

Raivis held his breath as Ivan passed by the room, trying not to make a sound. His eyes widened in fear as the house fell silent, but then the slow, deliberate footsteps started up again and he could breathe.

Raivis sank down to the floor of the closet, wondering...

Why did he try to run?

He shifted uncomfortably, feeling like nothing could be worse than this- hiding, trapped, with the... _Monster_ that had almost broken him searching for him.

Deathly pale and dizzy from blood loss, he stared down at his knees. But just as he began to wonder why he felt so cold, his vision faded to black and he slipped into unconsciousness.***

* * *

"Little Latvia..."

Raivis woozily opened his eyes, feeling almost too weak to move.

"I found you..."

Eyes dull, he stared up at the Russian, resigned to his fate.

Ivan frowned at his lack of reaction. Saying nothing, he picked Raivis up and stood, carrying him from the room. Raivis lay limp in his arms, staring at the wall with half-lidded eyes. He didn't struggle- he felt _exhausted_, and he wasn't even sure why.

At last they reached the room in the basement and Ivan pushed open the door with his elbow, carrying Raivis over to where Peter sat, unable to move.(1) He set Raivis down, ignoring Peter's cries, and snapped a cuff around his wrist.

Evidently, Ivan thought that Raivis wasn't going anywhere.

Still eerily silent, he stood and left the room.

"Peter..." Raivis mumbled, struggling to stay upright without assistance, "I'm so tired..."

"No! Raivis!" Peter grabbed his shoulder with the one hand he could move, wincing as he jolted the other. "Don't go to sleep!"

"Why... Not?" Raivis blinked slowly, almost leaving his eyes shut.

"Because..." Peter was crying now, knowing that his best friend might not live. "You won't wake up..."

"Yes I will..." he said, giving up and leaning against Peter's shoulder.

"It's just a little nap..."

* * *

"Ludwig..." Feliciano clung to his arm, futilely trying to stop shaking. "I-I'm scared.. What if Lovi doesn't wake up? What if he's dead?! What if Ivan's going to kill us all? Ludwig, I don't want to die, don't let him kill me, don't let him kill _you,_ don't let him kill any of us, please, _please..._"

"Feliciano."

Ludwig spoke quietly, firmly, effectively shutting him up.

"Lovino isn't dead, you can just ask Antonio. No one's going to die here. If _he _was a murderer, Toris, Eduard and Raivis wouldn't be alive right now."

"But how do you know Rai-Raivis is alive?!" he burst into tears, shaking with sobs. "I-If he was alive, Pe-Peter wouldn't be s-so..." Feliciano gave up on words, gesturing wildly towards the small boy. "He would've told us, a-and... _Ludwig, I don't want anyone to die!_"

Ludwig started to answer, but at that moment, the last person that either of them wanted to see burst through the door.

"Privyet!"

Ivan's eyes darted around the room, settling first on Raivis, then Lovino, but finally coming to a rest on Feliciano.

"Privyet, little one..." he sidled over to the pair, a sickly sweet smile still turning the corners of his lips upwards.

Feliciano squeaked, half-hiding behind Ludwig and staring up at Ivan with wide, terrified eyes.

"Stop."

The tone of Ludwig's voice implied that it was an order, not a request, not a question... But Ivan only laughed.

"Cестра!"

Only a moment later, Natalia appeared in the doorway, watching Ivan expectantly. He walked over to her, whispering something in her ear.

The same twisted smile that he wore spread over her lips, her eyes glinting with the same ferocity that shows in a cat's eyes when it's stalking a mouse.

Natalia waltzed over to them, pulling Feliciano to his feet as she pulled a knife out of the hidden pocket in her skirt.

"_Ciao._" she whispered, motioning for Ivan to come and unlock the chains.

He did exactly that, waiting for her to walk back to the doorway before unlocking Ludwig's.

As they expected, he lunged towards her- but what he didn't expect was for her free hand- the hand that was holding the knife- to fly up and position the point directly below Feliciano's chin.

Ludwig froze, stopping right there to keep from endangering Feliciano while he tried to save him.

Feliciano whimpered, tilting his chin up to avoid the sharp blade.

Natalia only repositioned it, holding the sharp edge to his throat.

"Please... Don't kill me..." he whimpered, a tears filling his eyes and running down his face. "L-Ludwig... _Help_..."

Ludwig started forward, only to stop again when Natalia made the smallest nick in Feliciano's throat. His eyes widened as he watched blood trickle down Feliciano's neck and disappear under his shirt, leaving a small, dark stain on the collar of the green garment.

"_You wouldn't want him to die, would you?_" Natalia's voice held the same sing-song tone that her brother's did, her head tilting to the side the tiniest fraction.

Ludwig slowly straightened up, refusing to give her any reason to make the cut bigger. As Ivan took hold of his wrists, Natalia began to back out of the room, forcing Feliciano to stumble along with her as he tried to keep the knife away from his neck.

Ludwig glared as Ivan dragged him along, still only cooperating because he didn't want the other boy to die.

He wasn't sure how much control he'd be able to keep over his anger if the Italian was killed.

He only had to put up with it for a short while, though; the room they were going to was only a few feet down the hall. When they entered, Feliciano was cowering against the back wall, behind what appeared to be an operating table, and Natalia was standing off to the side, waiting for Ivan to tell her if she had to do any more. He shook his head and she slipped out the door, her light footsteps pattering down the hall and up the stairs.

Ivan let Ludwig's wrists go and pushed him off to the side, slipping a previously-unnoticed knife out of his belt loop and flinging it towards Feliciano.

Ludwig's eyes widened.

"No!"

He blocked the knife's path with his own body, trying not to stumble as it hit him with more force than he expected.

Ivan tilted his head in confusion. '_He would die for this boy?_'

Pulling the knife from his stomach with shaking fingers, Ludwig dropped it to the ground.

"You're not... Touching him."

He struggled to stand as he pressed a hand over the deep wound, blood seeping through his fingers and splashing on the ground in a morbid mockery of a clock's tick.

Ivan stared at him owlishly. "So unlike the others..."

Finally steady, Ludwig stood defensively in front of Feliciano. His hair had long since fallen from the neat, slicked-back style it held before, his normally cold blue eyes clouded over with pain and emotion. His legs were shaky with hunger, pain, exhaustion, his wrists rubbed raw where he'd tried to remove the shackles. But still, he stood his ground, a single, weakened teenager against a well-built man. Sure, Ludwig was afraid- he'd have to be crazy to be fearless after seeing exactly _what _Ivan could do.

But he wasn't going down without a fight.

"You're not touching him." he hissed, glaring defiantly at Ivan.

"You aren't sure, da?" Ivan smiled innocently. "You act strong but you are only a little boy..."

Ludwig didn't have a chance to move before a thick metal pipe hit him in the side of the head, sending him stumbling. He'd barely recovered from the hit when Ivan hit him harder, throwing him back against the wall.

Ludwig barely heard the dull _thunk _his head made when it connected with the concrete. His legs all but useless, he slid down to the floor.

And even as the room swirled in front of his eyes, he tried to stand, tried to get back up to protect the one he loved.

But before he could, a wave of dizziness passed over him and just as he blacked out, he heard a haunting melody begin to float through the air.

* * *

Katyusha nervously tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, wondering if this was the right thing to do. Finally, she came to a decision, turning off her car and walking up the driveway to Natalia's door.

_Locked._

She knelt and pulled up the stepping stone under the door, retrieving the key from its hiding place. Katyusha unlocked the door and silently stepped inside, softly closing the door after herself. Almost immediately, she heard a panicked scream come from beneath her feet. Finding her way to a set of stairs blocked by a door, she realized that she'd never been in Natalia's basement.

'_Time to find out what's down there..._'

Katyusha descended the steps, stopping to look around as she reached the bottom. To the right of the stairs, there was a single door, two more on the other side of the hall.

From one came the noise of someone crying, from the other, the hysterical screaming she'd heard from upstairs.

She decided to see who was crying first, subconsciously wanting to prepare herself for what was in the other room.

Katyusha's gaze froze on a small boy that was sitting near the wall to her left. One leg was splayed out, twisted unnaturally, the other bent as if he'd tried to cross his legs. Raivis-she was able to recognize him- Raivis's head rested on the other boy's lap, his expression tense, as if he wasn't able to relax, even though he was unconscious. As for the other boy... Now she realized that he must be Peter, the second to be announced missing.

His left arm lay limp, his right moving slowly, mechanically, to comb through Raivis's bangs, his shoulders shaking with sobs.

_"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I tried, I tried... I should've tried harder... Why won't you wake up?!"_

Tearing her eyes away from the heartbreaking scene, she spotted the other pair- a boy she recognized as Lovino, and another that she knew must be Antonio.

Antonio had his arms wrapped around Lovino, holding him upright, although both appeared to be unconscious. Antonio, however, seemed less out of it than Lovino, his eyes opening halfway every now and again to make sure that the other was still there.

Already wanting to leave, Katyusha swallowed hard as she closed the door. If they were that bad without something actively happening... She didn't want to see what was happening in the other room. But she at least had to see if the others were there. She was already pretty sure- she thought that she recognized Feliciano's voice- but she knew she had to be absolutely certain before she took action.

Slowly, reluctantly, she walked over to the next door, seeing that it was still cracked open. She peered through the crack, unwilling to risk opening it further.

_"Ludwig! Ludwig, help me! Make it stop!"_

Katyusha pressed her hand over her mouth, muffling a sound of horror. Even after all she'd seen, this still made her want to run away and never come back. But she forced herself to stand still, a silent spectator as _her little brother_ crouched over a squirming, screaming teenager, smiling as he drew blood everywhere he could, almost laughing as he traced sickly red patterns of flowers and hearts that soon disappeared under a thick film of blood.

_"This is for leaving me... Making me stay in that cold, gray place... Trying to run... Leaving me all alone..."_

A stray thought passed through her mind, almost distracting her from seeing if the last boy- Ludwig- was there. '_Almost like a feral cat playing with its prey..._'

Her eyes flitted around the room as she remembered what she was doing, until she finally caught sight of Ludwig's motionless form.

He lay slumped against the wall, his gray shirt soaked through with blood, his hair almost dyed red with the same sticky, coppery substance.

Katyusha couldn't take it any more. Almost forgetting to stay silent, she fled back up the stairs, locking the front door behind herself and quickly replacing the key. Now that she could make noise, she sprinted back to her car, desperate to get as far away as she could. Her hands fumbled with her car keys and she almost tried to unlock the door with her house key, but she managed to keep her head clear enough to find the right key and get into the car.

She slumped forward, her forehead resting on the steering wheel.

'_Those poor children..._'

She knew what she had to do, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to. Her motherly side pulled her one way, her love for her siblings the other... And she had no idea which side to listen to.

'_I can save them... But what will happen to Vanya? Natalia? I don't... Don't want to see anyone hurt... But..._'

She sighed, turning her car on and pulling away.

'_Maybe... I'll be able to decide in the morning..._'

Katyusha drove past the police station, hoping, praying, that if she did turn them in, that she wouldn't be too late.

* * *

*No, I'm not telling you what you already know... XD

**MAKE YOUR GUESSES! I WANNA KNOW WHAT YOU THINK HE SAID! :D

***I. HATE. THIS. SENTENCE. SO. MUCH!

(1). Too many asterisks XD Run-on sentences, yay! XD Also, I don't like this entire between-line-breaks chunk. ._. Actually, I don't like this chapter... Except the parts with Katyusha XD

You know, chains like a lot of people have on their doors in case someone picks the lock. XD

Astrid is Fem!Denmark.

NOPE NOPE NOPE NO YURI

JUST FRIENDS

Natalia's train of thought: Brother doesn't need your help and tells you to leave. Immediately decide to play piano. /YOLO XD

Okay, I have decided that if I was an anime character, I would be that one ridiculously clumsy smart girl that none of the viewers can truly hate XD With maybe... A bit of Russia's yandere-ness thrown in :3

...I really hate this chapter . really. It's just so... *gives up on words and gestures wildly* AGH!

And yup, because I decided to write at one in the morning, Natalia is now a creepy little female Ivan-clone. Because I wrote at one in the morning. Don't let me do that again. XD


	10. Прости меня

Asdfbhisjahugjdchgjdfshfgdjkgdajfhsd ;_; this sounds really whiny, but I'm getting kind of sick of USUK... I mean, I tolerate it, and if a story I'm reading has it as a side pairing, then I'm not going to quit reading... But sifting through romance stories because I don't have a particular pairing in mind and every two stories "UsUk" "USUK" "usuk"... ._. Can someone explain to me why it's so popular? (And don't just give me "oh it's because England always calls him stupid so he's obviously a tsundere in denial"... I mean, come on. They're brothers.)

Sorry for my whining. n.n''

So...

Hetafan101: Did you even read chapter 8? Or were you giving me the silent treatment? *wince* Yes, she is very... Conflicted... But she went with her head rather than her heart this time, I guess...

Yeah, I'm so much like Canada it's not even funny XD except I'm a lot more likely to snap at someone that makes me angry... There's only so much crap that one can put up with. n.n

**Okay, I'm putting up a new poll! It was a unanimous decision as to when Gilbert's going to propose... So you'll have to wait until almost the end of the story. XD Not the very end, though! :D**

Enjoy!

* * *

Katyusha drove past the police station for the third time in ten minutes, finally slowing down and stopping. She sighed, working up the courage to turn off the engine and unlock the doors.

At last Katyusha did it, locking the door with shaking fingers before turning towards the building. She walked slowly to the door, her expression unusually grim.

Treading softly, Katyusha stepped over to the desk, coughing lightly to get the secretary's attention. It was obvious that she was terrified of what she was going to do; her face was pale and she was shaking, faintly hoping that her inherent clumsiness wouldn't come into play. "U-um, miss..."

"Yes?" The secretary glanced up, her entire appearance reminding Katyusha of Natalia.

"I..." she faltered. "I know who kidnapped those children and released Ivan Braginski..." Thankfully, her voice didn't crack.

"Well then, who?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Моя младшая сестра... Natalia Braginski."

The younger woman's fingers flew over the keyboard as she typed out a quick message, sending it after a quick once-over. '_There's a woman with information on the Braginski case in the lobby. I believe she needs to see you?_'

A few moments later, a reply arrived, accompanied by the sound of a bell. '_I'll be there in a moment._'

Katyusha could hear the sound even from where she was standing, watching the secretary wince as she yanked her headphones off.

"Who let that idiot near my computer?!"

Sighing, she addressed Katyusha again. "Chief Hedervary will be with you in a moment."

Katyusha nodded, pacing across the room and back. A few minutes later, a man about her own age, with light brown hair and sparkling green eyes, walked through the doorway.

"Are you here about the Braginski case?"

Katyusha winced. "Y-yes..."

"Okay, come with me."

He led her down what felt like a million hallways before they reached his office.

Sitting behind his desk and motioning for Katyusha to sit across from him, Officer Hedervary gave her a reassuring smile. "All you need to do is tell me what you know."

Katyusha was about to begin, but he continued.

"And there's no need to call me Officer, just call me Daniel."

"O-okay... Daniel..." she took a breath. "I-I found out last night... I went out to eat with her, because we hadn't seen each other in a while..."

"Who?" Daniel cut her off, needing to know exactly who it was.

"Natalia... Natalia Braginski..." Again, Katyusha paused to take a deep breath. "But when we went back to her house before going out to see a movie... I thought I heard someone scream, one of the little ones, I think... But Natalia claimed that she didn't hear anything, and said that one of her friends was going to take her out later." She sighed.

"I don't know how those two are friends... I had to leave then, but I was already wondering if she was the one responsible. So I came back a few hours later... And used her spare key to get in." She stared down at her lap, tears welling up in her eyes.

"There was someone screaming, down in the basement... I went downstairs, and in one room... In one room, there were the little ones and Lovino and Antonio... Antonio was barely awake, and Lovino was unconscious... Peter was crying over Raivis and I don't know if he was even alive...!"

Daniel stood, walking over to Katyusha. "It's okay... We'll get them out..."

"N-nyet, you don't understand!" she sobbed. "It's my little brother, my little sister doing this to them..!"

Daniel couldn't reply to that... He hardly ever saw someone come to turn in their siblings. "...Do you want to tell me any more?"

Katyusha took a deep breath and nodded, drying her tears. "After I saw that... I went on to the other room, and what was happening... I-It was worse than all the others put together... There was so much blood..!" She held her hands over her mouth, blinking away her tears and trying to calm down.

"Ludwig... Ludwig was against the wall, his shirt was all bloody, and his head was bleeding... A-and..." She took a deep breath, needing to finish. '_Just... Just a little more..._'

"Fe-Feliciano... I-Ivan was leaning over him with a knife, and there was so much blood..! Please, go save them!" she buried her face in her hands,

"Thank you, miss..."

"Katyusha..."

"Thank you, Katyusha. Now, I need to begin investigations immediately. Will you be alright staying here?" Daniel stood, walking to the door.

"D-da..." she nodded, relief mixing with her fear. "B-but... You need the address, don't you?"

"That's right. What is it?"

"6... 6889 Maple Circle..."

"Thank you." Daniel nodded to her and left, closing the door softly behind himself.

Katyusha let out a shaky breath. '_Vanya... Natalia..._'

'_Why_?'

* * *

"Ludwig! Ludwig, wake up!"

Feliciano was lost, unfeeling. Ludwig was like his anchor, the one that kept him from going insane with worry and fear, and now... That anchor was gone.

"Wake up!"

He felt the tears running down his face, knew that the screams echoing around the room were his... So why did he feel so... Detached? It felt as though he was a spectator, watching himself completely lose it from a perch near the ceiling.

But slowly, Feliciano came back to earth, clinging to Ludwig's arm and begging for him to wake up, even as the blood- _Ludwig's blood_- smeared onto his chest and face and arms, the coppery liquid soaking his clothes and staining them a sickly reddish color.

"That won't work, little one..."

Ivan laughed, a discordant, chilling noise that mixed with the slow, haunting melody that echoed from upstairs.

"Ludwig, please...!" Feliciano froze in shock as someone picked him up... But then he realized that the only one that could was Ivan.

"_No_!" he kicked and screamed, blinded by terror. If he'd been scared before... That was nothing compared to now. "Let me go! Let go!"

"Nyet, little one..." Ivan refused to acknowledge his struggles, pinning Feliciano to the grotesque recreation of an operating table as he tied down his wrists.

"Please..!" Feliciano still tried to squirm away, desperate to escape Ivan's grasp.

Ivan leaned over him, close enough for Feliciano to smell the vodka on his breath. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping, praying for this to be over soon.

"You've been a bad child, haven't you, little one?"

When Feliciano shied away from the cold steel blade he could feel on his neck, Ivan continued.

"_And we don't want children that can't play nice, __**right**_?"

* * *

Feliciano didn't know if he was breathing any more.

He could still see the dark gray of the ceiling, but... He couldn't feel anything. Why didn't it hurt...? He could _see_ the blood pouring from his chest, giving his now-pale skin a red tint... But it was so _numb_... Where was the pain, the terror that he'd felt earlier...?

He recognized the feeling, the sensation that he was a silent spectator hovering in the corner of the room. Feliciano was oddly detached- he knew that he was still screaming, but it didn't feel like the screams echoing through the hallways were his...

'_Was this how Lovi felt_...?'

The thought passed through his mind, distracting him from the worrying idea that he had been separated from his own body.

Feliciano closed his eyes, the screams dimming until silence reigned alongside the blackness.

'_This is so much better than the pain_...'

He felt as if he could hear, see, _feel_ nothing... Even if he opened his eyes and stopped concentrating on the blackness, he thought he might go on being surrounded by this night-like serenity.

'_Please_... _Let me stay here_...'

And the blackness, the wonderful, mind-numbing blackness, overtook him and he was released from the chains of reality.

* * *

When Feliciano woke up again, he didn't want to move. The pain had returned, his chest throbbing with every slow, unsteady breath. He looked around; not bothering to turn his head, he could see everyone. No one had really changed, except for one:

Antonio was gone.

Feliciano couldn't bring himself to think of what might be happening to him- his chest hurt too much for him to move, and he felt that, even if he wanted to, he was too weak to take a step or even stand.

He groaned, a wave of dizziness passing over him.

And once again, Feliciano succumbed to the blackness.

* * *

"You've found my babies?! Where are they?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN-"

"_Mi hijo_!"

"You've found Peter?! What's wrong- BROKEN LIMBS?!"

"Ludwig's unconscious?! WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM, YOU-"

"Raivis, I need to see Raivis..!"

* * *

BELARUS

IS NOW AUSTRIA

BECAUSE WE NEED CREEPY MUSIC

BOOM

...I'm sorry .w.

Translations:

Моя младшая сестра- My little sister

Da- yes

Nyet- no

Mi hijo- My son

Nyehe, I had another idea for the part starting at "Nyet, little one..." but... I decided not to write it XD Sometimes I creep myself out a little... And that would've ended up being more ridiculously funny anyway. XD And I think Ivan's creepy enough as is. No need to make him act like a vamp- noooooooooooope. Nooooope. :P

Asajgfajkgfjsgkjfd XD I don't know why this chapter was so hard to write... I guess because it means that the story's going to start coming to a close ;_; What am I supposed to do after I'm dooone?!

...Rewrite Oblivious and finish Je Suis Desole, I suppose... But this series is my baby ;A;


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